Royal Knights
The Royal Knights is an alliance of warriors and magicians from the previously-sealed magical realms and magical warriors of Earthly origin. Their goals are threefold: to ensure that magic is used for the benefit of mankind, to protect the magical realms from invasion by wicked or mundane forces, and to train and protect a new generation of magicians. When Knights come across someone with magical potential, they are more likely to take an active role in awakening the subject's powers and training them as a future Knight in turn. Ultimately, they hope to improve the world through the use of magic while actively preventing the overuse that triggered the fall of the Silver Millennium. History Not everyone lost the gift of magic on Earth when Queen Serenity sealed it away at the end of the Silver Millennium. A few lived on to keep the secrets of sorcery safe, and carry it on to their descendants. Those descendants were the witches, the hidden sorcerers, the fortune tellers and the secret advisers. Some kept themselves hidden, attending schools for wizards and witchcraft and living among others of their kind out of mundane eyes. Others lived among the rest of humanity, disguising their powers, all the while keeping watch for any sign that magic might return. Long ago, a gathering of powerful wizards and witches came together and made a sacred vow. They would preserve the flame of magic in the world, secretly waiting for the day it could be restored safely. They were the keepers of the old hidden histories, the secret society passing on knowledge to its descendants. They, and their descendants, came to be known as the Royal Knights. They were headed up by a ruling council of powerful elder mages. Strange sightings, tabloid articles and conspiracy theorists aside, life remained relatively stable for the Royal Knights and their kin, until Clow Reed and Yuuko defied the will of the ruling council and began traversing into the hidden magic realms. The council, infuriated that their actions had caused a disturbance and triggered a chain reaction which might throw all of their plans into chaos, could nonetheless do little about what had actually happened. Fearing panic throughout mage society, the council covered up any news of Clow and Yuuko's activities, chalking the disturbance up to outside forces. Meanwhile, they spent the ensuing years preparing for the disaster that might befall Earth in the years to come. When the barriers between Earth and the magical realms did finally begin to crumble, the agents of the Knights were at the forefront, hoping to minimize the damage. Under the rulership of a council of elders, the Royal Knights were reborn with the goal of protecting Tokyo and the magical realms from falling into chaos without allowing the flame of sorcery to be dimmed once more. Methods The Knights are still by and large a secret society, with new members being brought into the fold by older members provided the ruling council approves. On Earth, they often meet in secret to discuss strategies and pass on news of new magical disturbances. Still very much an old-fashioned order, they have a more formal hierarchy than the TSAB or First District. It is worth noting that while not all members of the order are capable of using magic, technologically-oriented Knights are extremely rare. Although they recognize the necessity of magical combat in defense of others, the Knights do not tolerate the deliberate use of magic for cruel or selfish reasons. Members suspected of such crimes are carefully scrutinized, and if need be, expelled from the order. The Royal Knights do encourage the open use of magic to improve the lives of others. This often brings them into open conflict with First District. Sample Characters *Li Syaoran *Negi Springfield *Hikaru Shidou